How Can Aretha Franklin Help Your Contact Center Attendance?

It’s a common truth that most contact centers struggle with attendance.

There are many factors contributing to an employee’s ability and desire to report to work when scheduled. Companies should partner with Human Resources or their EAP (Employee Assistance Program) for added resources to guide employees to better attendance. A partnership as such can help address modern day challenges of our workforce and build a stronger bond. Research confirms employees focused on their job will represent the company with quality performance, which is a win/win for us all!

As managers, we must continue to delve into why employees miss work and implement proactive and creative measures to improve attendance. If we fail to do so, poor attendance can become a culture or way of life within the company, with consequences detrimental to company growth, efficiency, and employee morale.

I have witnessed situations where employees grew numb to frequent reminders about attendance and began to bypass such communications. Sometimes, we must “jazz up” our approach while communicating core expectations that are vital to the success of the organization.

As such, I wanted to share my love of music to encourage better dependability through some memorable songs by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. This is the communication I have crafted for my employees.

In tribute to Aretha Franklin and her great songs:

• Let’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T our customers and fellow co-workers by reporting to work when expected. Dependability shows your commitment to the customer by being available to service their needs in a timely fashion. It also shows your support to co-workers through teamwork and accountability.
• Say to yourself that there “AIN’T NO WAY” you’re going to miss your next scheduled workday. Establish a support system of trusted family and friends who can help care for unexpected needs so you can be there at work. Your support system will be a valuable resource to help minimize excessive absences.
• Come to work and “ROCK STEADY” the entire shift! It’s all about consistency. You are a vital part of the organization, and each person is needed to do their part.
• Let’s be a “BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER” for our customers! The customer reaches out because of a need, and it should be the mindset of each employee to be available to willingly assist.
• When your alarm goes off, “JUMP TO IT”. A sense of urgency is needed when it comes to dependability. Maintaining good attendance takes planning, a great support system, and a healthy work/life balance.
• Get on that “FREEWAY OF LOVE” to get to work. Do you have reliable transportation to work? Let’s be proactive by allowing sufficient travel time for our commutes. If you are a remote worker, enjoy the luxury and privilege of working from home!
• Don’t miss work because you were “DAYDREAMING”. It’s great to have other dreams and aspirations, but we must remember the commitment we made when we were hired. Be sure to keep everything in perspective.
• “‘THINK” before missing work unnecessarily. Don’t overextend yourself with activities that can cause you to miss work. Communicate any conflicts with your manager. They may be able to arrange an alternate schedule thereby avoiding an occurrence.

Change up your communication pattern and have some fun with your message to ensure your workforce will listen about the importance of being on time, being there when needed, and being ready to provide great customer service.